"I see the operation was a success, General Louis Aguinaldo. We're impressed with the results this operation has made."
A man spoke through a spherical glass. His voice emanated with age and solemnity. The way he delivered was as though it came from the heart.
But General Louis Aguinaldo, from the shadows of his tent covering his entire appearance, knew better what the voice had said.
"I appreciate the praise, High Councilor, Esh Melech. But I would like to hear the thoughts of the other High Councilors. Surely, they would have words other than praise for the success of this operation."
Then the voice of another spoke through the spherical glass. His voice sounded like flowing water, clear and soothing.
"General Aguinaldo, although you have done an excellent job with this operation, we as the High Council do not have to share our individual thoughts on the matter. Thus saith I, Maim Melech."
Another voice spoke, distinctively different from the other. Stern and firm, solid like the earth.
"I believe what my fellow High Councilors have spoken in this manner is true for us, General. So stated I, Khadur Haretz Melech."
Another joined in, but it sounded younger and ferocious. Like the wind blew with exceeding strength to overpower even the solid of foundations.
"It doesn't matter if you want our opinions, General. Just like my fellow High Councilors have said, our own personal thoughts do not matter. So decrees I, Ruakh Melech."
Another chimed in. His voice was soft, and it was livelier than the others.
"It's not just that, General Aguinaldo! They're just formal! Like what they say, our opinions are not factual to guarantee an increase of pride! So announced I, Hayim Melech!"
The last spoke as well. But it was devoid of life and energy. As though it was death that spoke.
"Whatever ye have heard, it is enough. No more concerning our thoughts on the matter. Thus decrees I, Mavet Melech."
These five voices, along with the aforementioned Esh Melech, were the High Council. They are those who allowed the invasion to happen in the first place. Each represents one of the gods of the Six Spheres.
They also hold the highest authority regarding whichever actions that are worth beneficial not only to the nation they were in but also towards those who they believe be of great worth to them.
Standing as representative of the collective thoughts of the High Council was none other than High Councilor Esh Melech. Representing the God of Fire, Kham.
As for why General Louis Aguinaldo is currently conversing with these six High Councilors, the highest order and authority that they held in the entire nation, he was simply reporting on the latest progress of the operation.
Their current achievements were about driving off another attack by the Amriel Kingdom in an attempt to regain lost territories. Their victories were mostly decisive, slaughtering tens of thousands of Amriel soldiers while retaining minimal losses on their side.
He had also reported to them about the current state of affairs in the Kingdom, about the newly crowned king succumbing into madness. Which was also part of the operation to bring the head of the Kingdom into disarray.
Another part of the operation was the deportation of captured civilians and soldiers alike to another location. The reason why they have done this to avoid potential uprisings to the territories they currently hold. Especially considering the possibility of somehow losing dominance in the battlefield, it doesn't hurt to mitigate potential risks that may occur during an uprising.
Naturally, such a move would certainly bring chaos and confusion if any of the prisoners of war would ignite the flames of rebellion among the captives. Which is most true if they hold much pride in their hearts.
This is also why there is another that is part of the operation. A mass slaughter.
General Louis Aguinaldo decided it was best to kill off a large amount of the population to create an intimidation factor to scare away those who would plan an open rebellion. It was a bold move, and it involved meticulous planning and evaluation to consider which among the captive population to slaughter.
This brings another important factor that had so great of an impact on the operation. The trump card of the invasion force that attacked the Amriel Kingdom with fear and infamy. His name was Heinrich Abednego. Captain of the Abednego Company and the same man who defeated a descendant of the Sword Saint, whose name was Zedekiah Van Eisen.
It was because of him that this operation was a highly successful endeavor that not even he, General Louis Aguinaldo, would have expected the impact he had made in the war.
Not only that, he was solely responsible for the mass slaughter of many thousand lives. He also divided those who were likely to create an uprising from those who were not likely to do so.
This was a monster of a man who earned the nickname from both ally and enemy alike called the "Henker." Which is to say "Executioner".
He was so effective that recent attempts by the Kingdom to retake their lands were focused solely on eliminating Heinrich off the equation. The Captain was so powerful that he garnered unprecedented attention from the nation they were invading.
As for why such a monster was with them, it was still a mystery. All he knew was that the High Council recommended that man into their ranks.
Which brought Louis Aguinaldo into question as to how the High Council managed to make the Executioner, who was nonchalant about the higher authority of the army, to submission by the mere mention of "High Council".
For example, most officers were using those two words when Heinrich was seen disobeying direct commands from those who had a higher rank than him and when he had no intention on listening to them, they used "High Council" and he immediately obeyed right after.
There were many instances such as that that happened throughout the last forty days that were absolutely alarming.
I know the High Council had much power, but to have someone as brutal as Heinrich cowed by the mere mention of the word "High Council", it's unbelievable.
It was that time that Louis Aguinaldo had developed a cautionary stand when reporting to the High Council. Through Heinrich's behavior, he understood that they had something more than meets the eye.
His thoughts were then cut off as he heard Esh Melech speak once more. Returning to the meeting at hand.
"You've delivered an already excellent report. Well done, General Aguinaldo. But we sense that you have a question for us regarding the purpose of the operation, correct?"
General Aguinaldo momentarily widened his eyes, not expecting the query from the High Councilor.
Nonetheless, he'll take it as an opportunity to further understand the intentions of the High Council for this operation.
Although he believed that it was for bringing down the Amriel Kingdom of its idolatrous practices of the so-called "Son of Man" and how they have to bring them to the knowledge of the Gods of the Six Spheres. However, judging how effective this operation was and how someone like Heinrich was involved, he wanted to know the will and intention of the High Council regarding the long-term effects of the operation.
After all, they have not stated the true purpose of this operation since they, the High Council, announced it two years ago.
"Yes, I do have a question regarding the operation itself, High Councilor. As you have mentioned, I wish to know the true purpose of the operation."
He has to be careful, though. Any thoughtless words that would earn the ire of the High Council have to be avoided at all costs. If Heinrich's behavior were to be considered, he needs to be cautious on whatever response they would make.
"We see that you are searching for the true intentions of the operation, General. We understand that you have doubts, and perhaps it is time to give you clarifications on our intentions."
General Aguinaldo mentally began preparing himself. Whatever reason they have for starting the operation in the first place would likely be something big. Perhaps it would turn the entire world upside down.
"Before we begin, General, let us ask you. Have you heard of the city, Toheva?"
"Toheva? Yes, I have heard of it before. It was destroyed nearly seventeen years ago by our forces, correct?"
"Indeed. Toheva was utterly destroyed by our forces, leaving no survivors. Even the women and children were not spared. Because of the greatness of the slaughter, their corpses were left in the open. Their dead created so much a scent that many did not go and possess the city for many years. Thus, it was called "Desolation"."
General Aguinaldo knew the history behind that city. It was said the inhabitants of Toheva had done so many evils in the city that it was believed that the High Council ordered the destruction of the people there to erase their evil works from this world.
It wasn't that the city was defenseless. Toheva was a great and powerful city state. With walls greater than the walls used in the Fortress City Marul. It is said that the city was so great that the civilians boasted that not even the gods could destroy it because of the greatness of it.
However, their boasting was proven wrong. Toheva was destroyed in a single day, and current records testify of that feat to this day.
Then, a thought came to General Aguinaldo's mind.
Why mention Toheva? Is there something about that city that has a connection to our operation in the Amriel Kingdom?
He doesn't know the exact reason, but he felt that there was a piece of information from that city that would make the operation in the Kingdom make sense as to why it had to happen.
"May I ask, High Councilor. Why tell me about Toheva? Is there a link between that city state and the Amriel Kingdom that has to do with our operation?"
Since they were talking about Toheva and its relation to the operation, General Aguinaldo believed it is best to seek understanding and clarification to better know the context of the invasion. And how the High Council declared the invasion in the first place.
"There is no link between that city state and the Kingdom that we can assure you, General Aguinaldo. However, there is one that we believe would be of great worth in understanding our intentions."
"...And that is?"
"Before the destruction of Toheva, there was a boy. A boy that disrupted the internal affairs of Toheva. His actions incited widespread unrest, slaughtering their fellow citizens who believed in the boy. Who prophesied that Toheva would fall by our hands if they do not repent and that their great city would be destroyed and never to recover for many years. Who they have imprisoned and tortured for many days and nights."
General Aguinaldo raised an eyebrow at the mention of a boy. But he was more concerned about the mention of said boy being imprisoned and tortured.
"How old was the boy who had provoked Toheva into imprisoning and torturing the boy?"
"From what we know, he was only twelve years old at the time."
"Twelve years old?!"
Louis Aguinaldo was surprised by that information more than anything else that they have mentioned so far.
However, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by focusing on the brutal abuse of a young child. He was aware that there has to be a reason why the High Council would mention a boy in relation to the operation.
"Continue on, High Councilor. I apologize for my outburst. Please forgive me."
"You are forgiven, General Aguinaldo. As we are aware, you have a son of that age. It was no surprise that your reaction would be as a father worrying about the well-being of his son. Therefore, we understand your current feelings, General."
The Supreme Commander of the invasion force unconsciously clenched his fist. His outburst had allowed the High Council to use his familial connection. Such mention would mean they were aware of his family's current location.
"Continuing on, General. As for the physical and mental state of the boy, we know nothing concerning the matter. However, what we do know is that the boy managed to escape from where he was imprisoned. The boy left the city immediately once he had found an escape. He left the city exactly an hour before we attacked it nearly seventeen years ago."
"...I see that it is a story worth telling, High Councilor. But I do not see the reason why the boy is related to our operation."
"The reason is simple, General. After the boy traveled far from where Toheva was, he found refuge in where the Van Eisen family lives. He had stayed there for ten months and was responsible for helping give birth to two mothers who bear children to the man who hailed as one who held the Van Eisen name."
"Two mothers… wait, one of them is Juvia Van Eisen, correct?"
"Indeed, you are correct, General. As such, the names of those two children whom that boy had helped those two women give birth to were Zedekiah and Rosetta Van Eisen."
General Aguinaldo had heard of the story about the previous Van Eisen, the father of these two children born from different mothers, who had a legal spouse and another whom he had impregnated on the same night as he did with his legal spouse.
There were also stories that implied that the Van Eisen Patriarch impregnated both women on the same bed on the same night. Despite lacking concrete evidence about the story, he could tell the patriarch of the Van Eisen family has an unconventional character.
Still, there were still questions about the boy's involvement in the Van Eisen household.
"So this boy helped those women give birth. What else does that boy have that has to do with the Van Eisen family?"
"From what we know, he was responsible for preventing a disastrous divorce between him and his legal spouse, Juvia Van Eisen. He also had a hand in convincing the woman, the mother of Rosetta Van Eisen, to stay in the mansion until she had given birth to her child."
"I see… anything else regarding his involvement in the Van Eisen family?"
"There is one that we know is important. Before he left, a month after those two women gave birth, he had given a prophecy concerning the future of those two children."
The Supreme Commander raised an eyebrow at the mention. He had already heard enough that the boy prophesied the destruction of Toheva, but to give a prophecy regarding the children he had helped give birth was intriguing.
"Who is this boy to give such prophecies? From what I understand, he must be a Prophet. Am I wrong, High Councilor?"
"No, you are correct, General. It is why we have mentioned him, as his achievements after his stay in the Eisen Mansion had garnered our attention. Particularly where he was last seen."
General Aguinaldo furrowed his eyes. Waiting with anticipation and curiosity to have such an enigmatic boy to have such an impact on the High Council's decision to invade the Kingdom.
"Let us ask, General, what do you know about the Northern Tribes?"
"The Northern Tribes? Aren't they bloodthirsty people who have constantly waged war against the Amriel Kingdom for centuries? At least it was until two or three years ago that they decided to bring themselves under the control of the Kingdom. Which I heard was sudden news at the time."
"Indeed, what you have said is true. The Northern Tribes possessed a large territory in what they call the Frozen North. If you were to compare the size of it before it was integrated into the Kingdom, they were three times the size of the original territories of the Kingdom. At the time, they possessed staggering population booms time and time again despite experiencing huge losses at every war they've been to. Their bodies are stronger, having accustomed to their harsh environments for many generations, and their skills in combat are not to be underestimated. The only thing that had kept the Kingdom from being destroyed were their implementations of seals during times of war."
General Aguinaldo knew of the constant wars they had with the Amriel Kingdom. They were considered by the Kingdom as Barbarians. Those who delight in the shedding of blood and committing all manner of abominations to the Kingdom but not their own. Their only desire was to destroy the Kingdom off from the face of this world.
Although he was not familiar with the history of the Northern Tribes, he was aware that it involved the Amriel Family, the Amriel Kingdom's Royal Family, during the establishment of the Kingdom.
At first, he was confused as to why the High Council began mentioning a boy, and then suddenly, the Northern Tribes was thrown into the picture.
Then, it dawned on him.
"The boy, he was responsible for bringing the Northern Tribes into submission to the Amriel Kingdom!"
"Indeed, General Aguinaldo."
He knew he felt something was off when they first mentioned the boy and the Northern Tribes. But, to realize that all of it was connected, he needed time to process all of the information that he had received from the High Council.
The Supreme Commander was now sure what the true intentions of the operation were. But, he needs confirmation in order for it to be accurate.
"You mean to say, High Councilor, that the purpose of this operation is not only to bring the Amriel Kingdom down, but to hunt down that boy who managed to bring an entire race to submission under the Kingdom. Am I wrong, High Councilor?"
"No, what you have said is correct, General Aguinaldo. That is the true intention of this operation."
Now, Louis Aguinaldo was sure of it. The true purpose of the operation was not only to bring the Kingdom's destruction but to draw attention to that boy who had done such a feat.
If he were to draw a connection between the boy's time in the Van Eisen family household and the time of the Northern Tribes' submission, he can assume that it took the boy fourteen years in the Frozen North to accomplish the feat.
Using Toheva's destruction as a starting point of the timeline and using the current information of the boy's age (which is twelve years old) to determine how old he is. Since Toheva's destruction happened nearly seventeen years ago, then that boy's current age should be around 29 to 30 years of age.
Using the assumption as a basis of calculations, General Aguinaldo can suppose that the boy was thirteen years old when he entered into the Frozen North. For the Northern Tribes' submission, he should be around 27 years old when it happened.
The fact that the boy did so at such a young age is nothing short of incredible. No wonder the High Council had decided on this operation. Because he was a threat on an international scale!
If the same feat were to be repeated elsewhere, then every nation within that time period would be under the Amriel Kingdom's control because of the actions of that boy who prophesied Toheva's destruction.
Which brought another question to the boy's ability.
"High Councilor, do you perceive the boy to be a prophet?"
The Supreme Commander was aware of the existence of multiple prophets in every known religion. Since they are the authorized servants of the gods they served, it should be common sense that they were delivering the will of the gods.
However, there was a problem with it. In the present era, there were no prophets in the world.
They existed long before, and there were plenty of prophets that professed their beliefs and spread their doctrine throughout the world. In fact, it wasn't uncommon in the past to see a prophet prophesy of things that are about to come.
But now, ever since the end of the Great Demon War, prophets have nowhere to be found.
What took their place were the clergy of the largest religions known in the world. They disprove whatever teachings the prophets told and put in whatever they felt was good to teach the people. There were also times when these clergymen had the power to sway politics into their favor, causing wars in the name of religion.
These clergymen were opposed to the religion of the Gods of the Six Spheres, declaring those who practice the religion to be heathen gods and idolatrous. Their influence was so great that many nations who had religious beliefs on other gods were destroyed.
The only nation that practiced the religion of the Gods of the Six Spheres was the Tsada Theocracy. The same nation where the High Council and the rest of the invasion force came from.
The Tsada Theocracy, from an outside perspective, was nothing more than a nation governed by religious leaders who held authority in both secular and religious matters. Their way of life consisted of daily worship and traditions dating back thousands of years. Their scriptural records are said to be preserved and maintained for thousands of years, so much so that their language was not affected by multiple reforms. However, their speech was affected by the changing times, but their literacy remained relatively constant throughout their existence.
The nation itself was far from where the Amriel Kingdom was located. Approximately 4,260 kilometers if one were to go from Amriel to Tsada in a straight line. The size of the nation itself was the same as the Amriel Kingdom after the integration of the Frozen North as part of its territory.
Many believed that since the Theocracy was in such a distance, there was no way that they could adequately supply a large army. Considering the logistic system needed to operate a scale such as the invasion.
In reality, the Tsada Theocracy was a military powerhouse. Which said aspect was well-hidden to the point that many outside of the Theocracy had believed that they were a nation of pacifists. Who had no standing army but had guards for peace-keeping operations within the nation.
It is this aspect that allowed the Tsada Theocracy to prepare and develop the necessary armaments, as well as troops, for the invasion.
Having had years of preparation and experimenting on all forms of tactics. Using whatever the latest technology they could get their hands on, with more developing on the way, they have the means to carry out their plans.
Logistics? They have the Instantaneous Travel Seals to transport the necessary supplies in an instant with greater reliability than before.
Armaments? Using seals, such as the Enhance Durability, Increase Sharpness, and many more, had made the individual soldier of the Tsada Theocracy capable of killing an average of ten soldiers on his own before losing his life. As well as means to recover wounds that would incapacitate the normal man.
Manpower? Years of isolation and the desire to create a population that would lead the future of the nation had allowed population booms on a level as fast as their technological advancements in both magic and science. With their education focusing on both spiritual and secular aspects of life, creating a balance between the two thoughts.
Economy? Trade with the Eastern Nations, nations that were not aware of the existence of the Amriel Kingdom nor its western neighbors, had given the Tsada Theocracy ample resources and study to create a booming economy far greater than the Amriel Kingdom could ever produce.
There are many other advantages the Tsada Theocracy possessed that could not be mentioned. But, General Aguinaldo knew the Theocracy had what it takes to beat the Amriel Kingdom in a conventional battle.
There's also a few more that some could consider as secret trump cards.
"We believe the boy could be a Prophet, General. But, we have no significant information on the matter. For now, his presence should still be within the Amriel Kingdom. But we have lost track of it due to the appearance of the Shar during the early phases of the invasion."
General Aguinaldo raised a brow at the mention of the Shar. Knowing the sensors detected a Shar within the first hour of the invasion.
"I was aware of a Shar forty days ago, High Councilor. In my first report to you during the first day of the operation, I have given my reasons on why I have decided to reassign Heinrich and his Company to deal with whatever threats may come out of it. But it would seem it was only an Empty-type, nothing threatening to our current operations."
"We remember your report, General Aguinaldo. However, that Shar we have mentioned is connected to the Shar that we also detected at the Frozen North. With one individual passing through it."
Now, Louis Aguinaldo was curious. He wasn't aware that there was a Shar that occurred at the Frozen North during the first stages of the invasion. Neither had he heard of an individual passing through it.
He then remembered the report Heinrich made about how Juvia Van Eisen threw a young girl and shut her away in a wall, according to what he reported, of literal dirt.
"If I recall correctly, Captain Abednego did mention in his report that the Eisen matriarch threw a young girl. Though he does not know if Juvia was aware of the Shar or not, it could be possible that it was the young girl who passed through the Shar."
"If that is the case, then it is possible that it was Rosetta Van Eisen that passed through the Shar. From whatever information we know of that child, she is nothing to fear about. Even if she trains, it will take some time before she reaches the level Captain Abednego is at. By that time, our operation would achieve its key objectives, as the Henker had evaluated at the start of the operation."
"I am aware of that probability, High Councilor. Although, in the situation if Heinrich were to fall from battle, I would like to request the armaments that are currently developed as a back-up plan in case that scenario were to occur."
"An astute foresight that you have, General Aguinaldo. We believe that your requests are necessary in preparation for the Kingdom's counterattack if they decide to use their trump cards. If they have one in the first place, but we can not be complacent with our current achievements."
The Supreme Commander knew that it wasn't wrong to be cautious of what was ahead. It is better to prepare for the worst than wait for it.
The armaments in question are advanced, to say the least. They have done multiple military exercises in the southern regions of the Theocracy, where it is unlikely to have anyone performing espionage since the location itself is devoid of life. Possessing multiple environments, such as humid forests, large mountainous regions, snow-filled lands that somehow managed to be cold all year round despite being near the equator, and many others that helped develop tactics and equipment based on the lessons learned during each exercise.
"I believe that is all I would like to report on, High Councilor. I'm afraid that I took too much of your time."
"It is well, General Aguinaldo. You have no need to apologize for it. It is best to continue on and not worry about what we think."
"Thank you, High Councilor. I will report to you in the next ten days as per usual."
"Very well. It has been effective thus far in this type of communication since we already received updates on a daily basis of the war, but to have it confirmed from you makes it ideal. Considering the likelihood of an outside source corrupting the stream of information we are receiving."
"I appreciate the High Council's praise and concern, High Councilor. For now, I will take my leave."
"Farewell, General Aguinaldo. Till we meet again."
With that ends the communication between General Aguinaldo and the High Council.